JPAOLA

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Image of the author with a white/tan siberian husky mix
Self portrait with my dog, Hachi.

🧠 About Me

I’m a thoughtful and curious software engineer who’s just as driven by understanding people as I am by building systems. I enjoy uncovering how things work—whether it’s code, the brain, or the everyday tools we rely on. My background blends engineering, data, and user experience, while my interests expand into science, psychology, health, and art. I like to learn deeply and apply practically.

I don’t just build things—I seek to understand them, refine them, and make them meaningful.

💼 Professional Focus

Professionally, I’m user-centered and results-driven. I thrive in collaborative environments that value empathy, clean design, and long-term thinking. My work spans frontend development, automation, and scalable systems—with a consistent goal of solving real-world problems through thoughtful solutions. I enjoy creating tools and experiences that make people’s lives easier and better.

I value workplaces that encourage continuous learning, creativity, and a healthy work-life balance.

🎨 Creative Side

Outside of engineering, I explore creativity through graphite drawing and visual storytelling—often drawing animals, nature, or portraits with subtle emotion. I’m introverted, observant, and expressive through my work. My artistic side helps me stay grounded and sharpens my sense for detail and clarity, whether in code or on paper.

🎨 Art

Art has a unique way of adding beauty and meaning to the everyday. I’ve always been drawn to creative pursuits that engage the imagination — whether it’s sketching, painting, exploring color, or even crafting a book.

For me, art is more than a hobby — it’s a quiet refuge. A meditative space where creativity flows freely and things slow down. It’s my sanctuary. What’s yours?

Among the many artists I admire, Oscar-Claude Monet stands out. There’s something deeply calming and luminous about his work, especially The Water Lilies.

Want to see one of my personal projects? Check out my first published coloring book on Amazon.

Cover of a coloring book
Self Love & Positivity Coloring Book For Women: Encourage a positive mindset & self confidence

📚 Books

I’ve always had a deep love for learning, and reading has become one of my favorite ways to grow. Whether it’s a hardcover, paperback, audiobook, or Kindle, I enjoy exploring ideas across formats and genres.

Over time, I’ve come across a handful of books that left a lasting impression — stories and insights that offered real-life lessons or shifted how I think.

Below, I’ve organized some of my favorites into three categories: personal growth, fiction, and software engineering.

Personal Growth

  • Book cover with multiple photos of land and mountains with title 'NKJV Study Bible Full Color Edition'
    NKJV Study Bible by Thomas Nelson
  • Book cover with a running horse silhouette on a sea shore
    The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer
  • Book cover with title 'Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss'
    Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss
  • Book cover with title 'Small Giants by Bo Burlingham'
    Small Giants by Bo Burlingham
  • Book cover with title '12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson'
    12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson
  • Book cover with title 'Atomic Habits by James Clear'
    Atomic Habits by James Clear
  • Book cover with title 'How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie'
    How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
  • Book cover with title 'Find Your Unicorn Space by Eve Rodsky'
    Find Your Unicorn Space by Eve Rodsky
  • Book cover with a parachute and title 'What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles'
    What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles
  • Book cover with  title 'The Illustrated: A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking'
    The Illustrated: A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

Philosophy

  • Book cover with title 'Plato Complete Works Edited by John M. Cooper'
    Plato Complete Works Edited by John M. Cooper
  • Book cover with  title 'Meditations: The Annotated Edition by Marcus Aurelius'
    Meditations: The Annotated Edition by Marcus Aurelius
  • Book cover with title 'Inner Work by Robert Johnson'
    Inner Work by Robert Johnson
  • Book cover with title 'The Ikigai Journey: A Practical Guide to Finding Happiness and Purpose the Japanese Way by
																		Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles'
    The Ikigai Journey: A Practical Guide to Finding Happiness and Purpose the Japanese Way by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles
  • Book cover with a tree branch filled with sakura blossoms and title 'Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life'
    Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life
  • Book cover with a field of daisies and title 'The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down by Haemin Sunim'
    The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down by Haemin Sunim
  • Book cover with title 'Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life by
																					Beth Kempton'
    Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life by Beth Kempton

Software Programming

  • Book cover with the title 'The Pragmatic Programmer: 20th Anniversary Edition, 2nd Edition by David Thomas and Andrew Hunt'
    The Pragmatic Programmer: 20th Anniversary Edition, 2nd Edition by David Thomas and Andrew Hunt
  • Book cover with the title 'System Design Interview Vol. 1 by Alex Xu'
    System Design Interview Vol. 1 by Alex Xu
  • Book cover with the title 'System Design Interview Vol. 2 by Alex Xu'
    System Design Interview Vol. 2 by Alex Xu

Fiction

  • Book cover with title 'The Midnight Library by Matt Haig'
    The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
  • Book cover with title 'The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho'
    The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
  • Book cover with an upside down bird and title 'The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami'
    The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
  • Book cover with the bottom half of a person in a white dress in a garden and title 'Be With You by Takuji Ichikawa'
    Be With You by Takuji Ichikawa
  • Book cover with the title 'The Book Thief by Markus Zusak'
    The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

💻 Technology

I’m deeply engaged in the many layers of software development — from system design and engineering principles to both frontend and backend architecture.

I thrive when building features that create meaningful, user-centered experiences. I’m especially drawn to disciplined engineering practices like automated testing, code reviews, and writing clean, readable code. To me, simplicity is the path to clarity — and often, to perfection.

While I care deeply about code quality and reliability, I also recognize that great engineering requires humility. There’s always more to learn, and the best solutions often emerge through collaboration. I value the perspectives that teammates bring, and I believe constructive feedback — both giving and receiving — is essential to personal and professional growth.

Below, you’ll find a curated list of tools and technologies I’ve worked with — past and present — that have shaped my approach to building thoughtful software.

Interests

  • JavaScript Logo
    JavaScript
  • TypeScript Logo
    TypeScript
  • HTML Logo
    HTML
  • CSS Logo
    CSS
  • React Logo
    React.js
  • Ant Design Logo
    Ant Design
  • Cypress.io Logo
    Cypress.io
  • Jest Logo
    Jest
  • REST API Logo
    REST API
  • GraphQL Logo
    GraphQL
  • Node.js Logo
    Node.js
  • Python Logo
    Python
  • PostgreSQL Logo
    PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • MongoDB Logo
    MongoDB
  • Golang Logo
    Golang
  • Prometheus Logo
    Prometheus
  • Grafana Logo
    Grafana
  • Jira Logo
    Jira
  • Trello Logo
    Trello
  • Git Logo
    Git
  • GitHub Logo
    GitHub
  • GitLab Logo
    GitLab
  • Atlassian Logo
    Atlassian
  • BitBucket Logo
    BitBucket
  • SourceTree Logo
    SourceTree
  • Confluence Logo
    Confluence
  • Postman Logo
    Postman
  • Docker Logo
    Docker
  • Visual Studio Code Logo
    Visual Studio Code
  • Yarn Logo
    Yarn
  • NPM Logo
    NPM
  • Recharts Logo
    Recharts
  • Jenkins Logo
    Jenkins

Useful Resources

  • ByteByteGo Newsletter
  • Substack Technology
  • The Hacker News
  • Codecademy
  • Roadmap
  • ycombinator
  • tldr
  • SVG Repo
  • Coolors
  • The Ultimate API Challenge

Projects

Concentration Game
Memory Game home page
  • GitHub Logo
    View GitHub Repository
  • Link to Memory Game
    Go to Memory Game Application

Public Gists

server.js
The server file for a TCP NodeJS Package Indexer app.
my-url-shortener.js
A URL shortener API written in Node.js and Express.js
web-server-gin/records/records.go
This is the logic for an album API part of the web-server-gin repo.

🎧 Music

Finding your rhythm while studying or coding can be a challenge — especially with distractions everywhere. This is a playlist I created to help me stay focused and in flow. It’s lyric-free, minimal, and designed for deep concentration.

Give it a listen on Spotify — it might help you get in the zone too.

Small zen garden
Art of Focus

📬 Contact

Thanks for stopping by!

Feel free to reach out or explore more of my work below.

itsmejpaola@gmail.com
2025 - JPaola